It’s the first Tuesday of March of the 2024-25 NCAA Men’s College Basketball season. We have some regular-season action and some conference tournaments are also underway. Does it get any better than March Madness?
I played some Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Championship (ASUN) games last night while betting on some Big Sky and Southland Conference basketball last night. I sweated out a Northern Colorado-Weber State game. If you’re not betting Big Sky hoops, you’re not living.
After a solid showing on the college hardwood last Tuesday, let’s keep rolling up some winners and building our bankroll for the NCAA Tournament and beyond.
Here are our best college basketball picks for Tuesday, March 4th.
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Tuesday’s Best College Basketball Picks
Last Week: 4-2 (66.7%, +178) | Season: 41-33 (55.4%, +506) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Holy Cross Crusaders (+220) at Lafayette Leopards (-275) | O/U 137.5 (-110/-110)
The Crusaders (13-18) and Leopards (12-19) meet at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, PA for this 2025 PenFed Credit Union Men’s Basketball Patriot League Championship first-round matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.
The home team won each meeting during the regular season, with Holy Cross winning 74-69 in overtime in the most recent matchup on February 19th as a 2.5-point underdog. Lafayette blasted Holy Cross 82-65 as a 6-point favorite on January 11th in the first meeting in Easton. The over cashed in each of the meetings, too, while going 5-0 in the past five in the series and 7-1 in the past eight installments.
Holy Cross dropped three in a row to close out the regular season, while going 1-5 straight up (SU), but it did cover three of the final four, including that outright win over Lafayette in overtime. The Crusaders went to overtime in two of the final four games, too, showing a flare for the dramatic.
As far as the total is concerned, Holy Cross went over in four straight games to close out the campaign, getting to at least 73 points in each of the outings, while allowing 81+ points in the final three contests.
For the Leopards, they hit the over in the final five games of the regular season, allowing 65+ points in each of those games. Lafayette covered three in a row to close things out, with the most recent non-cover coming at Holy Cross.
We’ll take the Crusaders catching the three buckets, as this should be nip and tuck, and go a little more aggressively on the over.
Picks: Holy Cross +6.5 (-110) & Over 137.5 Points (-110)
Villanova Wildcats (-205) at Georgetown Hoyas (+168) | O/U 142.5 (-115/-105)
The Wildcats (18-12) and the Hoyas (16-13) square off at Capital One Arena for the penultimate Big East conference matchup of the regular season. Tip-off time is 8:00 p.m. ET. You can catch this one on Peacock.
While Villanova is 7-1 SU in the past eight meetings in this series since January 22nd, 2022, that lone loss came on its home floor on January 20th, as the Hoyas scored a 64-63 upset as a 7.5-point underdog. The under (136) cashed in that game, which has been par for the course lately. The under is 4-0 in the past four in this series while going 6-1 in the previous seven meetings. It’s like old-school Big East basketball when these two meet up.
Villanova has been playing its best basketball of the season, making a late push for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. It has won three in a row, including an impressive 81-66 win over a ranked Marquette team on February 21st at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats are 6-2 SU/against the spread (ATS) in the past eight games since February 5th, with the under holding a slight 5-4 edge in February.
For Georgetown, it showed impressive progress under head coach Ed Cooley this season, but, unfortunately, the Hoyas have cooled off a bit lately. Sorry, pun totally intended. There is no Cooley harmony lately, as the team has dropped three in a row, but they’re still here for the cover, going 3-1 ATS in the past four outings. The over is 4-1 in the past five games for Georgetown, too, while going 6-2 across the past eight outings.
Even though Georgetown has cooled off, back ‘Hoya Saxa’ catching the points. We’ll also side with the under since that always seems to be the case when these two square off.
Picks: Georgetown +5.5 (-120) & Under 142.5 Points (-105)
New Mexico Lobos (-110) at Nevada Wolf Pack (-110) | O/U 149.5 (-106/-114)
The Lobos (23-6) and the Wolf Pack (16-13) meet up in a Mountain West Conference (MWC) battle at the Lawlor Events Center in the Biggest Little City in the World - Reno, Nevada. Tip-off time is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
New Mexico strolls in with a strong resume, as it is likely headed to the NCAA Tournament, but it cannot afford any stumbles. They have won the past three meetings in this series, getting to at least 82 points in each of the victories, including an 82-81 overtime win in “The Pit” in the ABQ on January 3rd. Nevada covered as a 5.5-point underdog, however, and the over cashed. That’s the usual here, as the total has gone high in two in a row and five of the past six meetings.
The Lobos punished Air Force 92-71 last time out, but just missed a cover as 22-point favorites. New Mexico has failed to cover the past five outings while losing two of the past three games outright. The over is 3-1 in the past four, however, so we’ll be rolling with that.
The Wolf Pack have dropped three of their past four games and are just 1-3 ATS in the past four games, although Nevada is 3-1 ATS in the past four at home. The over is 3-1 in the past four games while cashing in six of the past eight games.
You have to trust New Mexico to get the job done, as it is the better team. Back New Mexico on the Moneyline and go high on the total, as that is your best bet in this MWC battle.
Picks: New Mexico Moneyline (-110) & Over 149.5 Points (-106)
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.
